Report recommends changes in prison sentences

11:32 PM,
Oct. 28, 2013

A think tank report suggest changes in prison sentences in Louisiana.

Written by

Mike Hasten
mhasten@gannett.com

A study of Louisiana's prisons and court system suggests that the Legislature's "get tough on crime" laws decades haven't worked.

Instead, the laws that are primarily directed toward nonviolent crimes have filled prisons with nonviolent offenders who run up a huge tab for taxpayers.

The study, titled "Smart on Sentencing, Smart on Crime: Reforming Louisiana's Determinate Sentencing Laws," is being released today by The Pelican Institute, Reason Foundation, Texas Public Policy Foundation and Right on Crime. ...